Roller unit



H. H. HARRIS i 2,186,724

ROLLER UNIT Filed NOV. 12, 1957 ENTOR Henry fi Harris I ATTORN EY5 Patented Jan. 9, 1940 "UNITED; STATES PATENT, OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention relates generally to means for travelling various types of work supports such as trays, boxes, and thelike, through heat treating furnaces. Most of the articles to be heat treated are usually loaded onto fiat bottomedsupports, commonly called trays, and travelled through the heat treating furnaces on equally flat skid rails or tracks. The friction thus generated is equally destructive to both the supports lO and the rails or tracks, and my invention is directed specifically to the provision of a roller unit which can be attached to any conventional form of work support to enable same to be travelled through heat treating or other furnaces more easily and quickly, with expenditure of less power, and with much less friction.

The main object of my invention is the provision of a roller unit composed of relatively few parts, simple and easy to put together and attach for use.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a roller unit composed of parts so shaped that same are received one within the other.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a roller unit composed of parts so sized and shaped as to require no mechanical connection to maintain same inoperative relation.

Other objects will in part be pointed out specifically hereinbelow and in part be obvious from the following description of an illustrative embodiment.

In the drawing annexed hereto and forming a part hereof,

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of one form of roller unit constructed according to and embodying my invention, showing same attached to a work support and projecting downwardly therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the component parts of my roller unit.

Reference numeral I0 indicates the roller unit generally which comprises housing I2, roller or wheel I4 with integral journals I5, I5, and bearing member I6, all'of'which are one-piece castings of heat and corrosion resisting alloy, preferably of nickel, chromium and iron composition.

The bearing member I6 comprises a hollow block I8 provided with a longitudinal slot 20 through which the roller or wheel I4 projects, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4. Block I8 also contains the rounded, preferably tapered and open-sided bearing slots 22, 22 extending transversely to slot 2Il,which slots 22, 22 are shaped to receive and provide bearings for the preferably tapered journals i5, l5v of roller .HIQ The-portions of bearing 6 member It containing bearing slots 22, 22, are extended or shouldered-inwardly to the edges of slot til, as indicated at 23,-to provide alengthened bearing surface within slots 22, 22 for the journals I5, I5, the length or saidjournals I5, l5 being 101 substantially the same as the length of bearing slots 22, 22, as shown in Fig. 3. I

Housing i2 is similar in shape to bearing I6, and is also provided with a longitudinal slot 26 through which roller or wheel I4 projects. The 15 outer dimensions of bearing member I6 are substantially the same as the inner dimensions of housing I2, and when bearing member I6 is placed within the housing I2 in the relation illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, there is a close fit between these 20 two members, with little or no intermediate clearance. The journals or axles I5, I5 of roller or wheel I 4 are preferably cast integral therewith, as stated, and are of such thickness and taper as to be wholly received within the ta- 5 pered bearing slots 22, 22 in block I8, the housing I2 serving to retain the journals for rotation within these bearing slots 22, 22. Thus, when the component parts of my roller are assembled in the relation shown in Figs. 3 and 5, a com- 30 1 paratively compact unit is obtained, with axles or journals I5, I5 of wheel I4 retained in slots 22, 22 by the housing I2; a portion of the wheel projecting through slots 20 and 26 ofthe bearing member I6 and housing I2 respectively.

While I have illustrated my roller unit II] as applied to a tray device, as 30, it is obvious that same may be applied equally well to a track or to any form of work support used in heat treating processes.

With the parts of the roller unit assembled as above described, the roller or wheel I4 having been put into its place in the bearing member Iii and these parts then inserted through the open end of housing I2, attachment can be made to a tray or other device as by welding the housing I2 in place on such deviceas indicated at 50. This welding is all that is necessary to secure the roller unit It! to the device 30, the close fit between the components 'of the unit 50 sufi'icing to keep same in operative relation, and particularly when device 30 is loaded. In such case, the combined weight of device 30 and the load will be distributed between wheel or roller I4 and bearing I6, housing I2 supportingsg no part of the load and functioning merely to maintain the other components in the desired relation shown.

In the form shown, housing 12 is separately formed and welded to the underside of device 36, and provides, in effect, a mufiie which protects the roller and bearing from flame impingement, and permits more uniform heating. Additionally, the housing aids in keeping out the scale and other foreign matter which tends to increase friction and wear on the bearings and journals.

My improved roller unit has numerous features of advantage. For one thing, the parts are simple and can be cast at very little expense. For another thing, maintenance cost is low, and the parts can be attached, detached and replaced easily and inexpensively.

Having now described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A roller unit comprising a hollow bearing member having a longitudinal roller slot therein andcontaining journal bear'ng slots, a roller having journals received within the bearing sots, and asupporting housing within which the hearing member and roller are wholly received, said housing enclosing both the roller and the bearing member and having a slot through which the roller-extends, said slot being aligned with the longitudinal roller slot.

2. A roller unit comprising a roller, a bearing member therefor, and a housing within which the bearing member and roller are wholly disposed, the roller having tapered journals formed integral therewith, the bearing member comprising a hollow block having a longitudinal roller slot and recessed bearing slots transverse to the roller slot, the journals of the roller being received Wholly within the bearing slots with a portion of the roller extending into the interior of the block, the remainder projecting through the roller slot, and the housing having a slot through which the said remainder also projects the housing securing the roller journals against displacement from the bearing slots.

3. A roller unit for attachment to the underside of a travelling work support comprising a hollow bearing member having a longitudinal roller slot therein on the bottom thereof and a pair of bearing slots therein on opposite sides of the roller slot which bearing slots open downwardly, a roller and journals thereon equal in thickness to the. depth of the bearing slots, and a hollowhousing fitted over and enclosing the bearing member, the housing having a roller slot on the underside thereof coincident with the roller slot in the bearing member, said housing being adapted to be secured to the underside of the work support whereby the bearing membar and the roller are supported therewithin in operative relation to the work support.

HENRY H. HARRIS. 

